There is an excellent guide to buying and wearing hats in the new issue of GQ. Interesting to see that Manhattan’s JJ Hat Center was featured prominently. You may remember back in June when CBS Sunday Morning did a segment on hats and featured the same store and incidentally, the exact same salesman. The handy guide from GQ basically breaks down everything you need to know to wear a hat without looking like you just got off a flight from LAX. Much respect to GQ for making the guide without including pictures of Justin Timberlake or Brad Pitt.

My good friend Mark wears a hat frequently with a suit and ends up looking very smart. When well done, there is no better accessory. Take a look at Don Draper if you don’t believe me.

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A week or so ago I was graciously invited to The Trad’s apartment for cocktails. Upon my arrival a Dark ‘N’ Stormy was immediately handed to me and I was ushered to sit and chat in the living room. The Trad, being the tasteful gentleman that he is, was watching Bert Stern’s classic 1959 documentary Jazz on a Summer’s Day. Having never seen the movie before, I was completely taken by what was on the screen. A few days later the film would be the subject of my first post on the Men’s Vogue Index blog. The story can be seen here: ACL on Men’s Vogue

Many thanks to The Trad for the drinks and the inspiration. Below: Still images from the film.

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It seems to me that American menswear is at the peak of its popularity. Maybe it is the weak dollar or all of the interest workwear or just all of the raw talent that is being flushed out of New York right now. Any way you look at it, this fall is the season of American style. Look at D&G from AW08, that collection surprisingly looks like it would work well in New England, in the sixties. Going through the September DETAILS I was loving all of the classic American style in the issue. It started out with a great still-life feature called Born in the USA — which basically epitomizes my personal style. The front of book continued with a few pages on “How to Pull Off American Style” which is pictured below. The issue also highlights the ongoing, and very successful Gant and Jeffrey partnership and there is a page on new designers which features two of ACL’s very talented friends Antonio Azzuolo and Richard Chai.

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Fall is coming, fall is coming. I keep saying it and last week another meteorological sign of autumn appeared, the September issue of GQ. The fall fashion issue — with one James Franco on the cover — features copious amounts of tweeds, wools, corduroy, suits, cashmere, not to mention loads of football coverage. My favorite section of the issue is the four page chunky knit story. I’m counting the minutes until sweater / football season is upon us…

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It is pretty obvious that Alex Carleton — the man behind the Maine-based brand Rogues Gallery — has great taste. The gentlemen at Men’s Vogue took a trip to Cape Elizabeth, Maine to give us a look into Mr. Carleton’s beautiful home. As one would expect, the house is littered with nautical-themed artifacts collected over time. Seeing this home gives me a greater appreciation for the the Rogues Gallery collection — knowing the inspirations and authenticity of the guy at the controls. Impressive to say the least.

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Our friends at DETAILS put together another great Rules of Style with Consuelo Castiglioni, the forward thinking creative director of Marni. As I have said before, these types of Q&As are hard to do in an interesting manner, but DETAILS is on a roll. Some of my favorite bits from Ms. Castiglioni:

5. Shoes define the kind of man you are. They should never be too trendy or showy but lean toward the classic. There are a lot of ugly shoes out there, and they can ruin even the most sophisticated attire.

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The August issue of GQ is out and as to be expected, it is great. Just when you thought it couldn’t get better than the Summer Dresses Summer Suits story in July they hit you with Mr. John Slattery AKA Roger Sterling cloaked head-to-toe in plaid goodness.

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GQ continues its campaign of shock and awe with the July cover. Never in my life have I wanted to be a pair of socks more than right now. More good stuff to come from the issue.

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